The Catamounts (3-4, 3-3) netted their first goal of the 6:30 mark of the first quarter as Ben Richter snapped a short-range shot into the netting. Matt Artman followed with another tally just over a minute later on a 7-foot ripper, while Dillon May and Parker Williams also scored as the rout was on.

Richter said it was imperative his team, as the visiting squad, get off to a quick start and build its momentum from there.

“We were definitely more aggressive on offense than in previous matches,” Richter said. “We didn’t throw the ball away as much and got the offense well set up.”

The Catamounts’ onslaught continued in the second quarter as they extended their lead to 8-0 as Artman and Richter each scored their second goals. Tanner Davis and Carter Rucker also got on the score sheet as Panther Creek dominated ball possession with mostly crisp passing.

“We always want to play a complete game, and this was as close as we have come to doing that this season,” Haine said. “This gives us confidence moving forward.”

The Imps (1-4, 1-4), played a bit better in the third quarter and got onto the scoreboard on Brendon Reeser’s goal with five minutes remaining in the stanza. Goals from Rucker and Williams ballooned the Catamounts’ lead again, however, and the Imps couldn’t respond.

“We played harder in the third quarter but we were still not nearly sharp enough,” Cary coach Scott Gordon said. “We got off to a bad start and they destroyed us on ground balls too. They had the ball most of the first half.”

Rucker appreciated his team’s effort.

“We moved the ball well in the beginning in feeding the middle,” said Rucker, the lone three-goal scorer. “We had a lot of opportunities to score from all over the field.”